District's 'day school' now funded by state

FALLBROOK -- Educators said Friday that they have started
receiving state support to continue teaching expelled students who
are transferred into the school district's "community day
school."

Brian Jacobs, director of educational services, said that the
announcement was welcome news, because the district will be paid
for students that it had previously been teaching without state
reimbursement.

State education officials notified the Fallbrook Union
Elementary School District two weeks ago that the day school was
issued its own school ID number, making it eligible for state
payments based on how many students attend.

The community day school is essentially an alternative class
that allows the district to continue teaching students who are
expelled, because those students cannot continue at any of the
district's regular campuses.

In a formula known as "average daily attendance," or ADA, the
district is eligible to receive up to $5,485 every year per
student, Jacobs said.

Currently, six children are enrolled, and Jacobs said the
district would probably cap the number at 12, for a maximum of
around $65,000 that the district could recover for continuing to
serve its expelled students.

"That funding, per child, supports the instructional components,
from materials to technology to counseling," he said. "It offsets
and supports our general fund to ensure that these kids are getting
their needs addressed."

He said that it will also allow the district to temporarily
transfer troubled students who have not yet been expelled from a
regular campus, but appear to be showing signs of poor
decision-making.

"When you're dealing with junior high school students who are
facing major issues, socially and academically, to have a program
like this is a major benefit," said Jacobs.

In the 2006-07 school year, nine students were expelled from the
district, six from Potter Junior High School, according to state
education statistics.

Jacobs said the middle school students -- the district's oldest
population -- are the most commonly expelled, and that the
community day school will only include grades seven and eight.

"We're probably looking at no more than a dozen at one time,
because if it gets any larger, it starts to lose the individuality
that we need," he said.

He added that the day school is licensed for grades four to
eight, and that expanding "would be a matter of facilities and a
teacher. Right now, our need has been at the junior high school
level."

The district's primary goal is to get misbehaving students back
on track and send them back to their original campuses, Jacobs
said.

"It's not just a holding tank, it is (an attempt) to make sure
these kids stay connected and wanting to acquire knowledge … with
that attitude that they can be successful," he said.